Former NFL star Deion Sanders. (Getty)
Eric Allen is one of the greatest cornerbacks in Philadelphia Eagles franchise history. But he seems to be forgotten by everybody outside the Eagles organization. Everyone except Deion Sanders.
Sanders, arguably the greatest cornerback of all-time and a Hall of Famer himself, took to Twitter Sunday to hype up Allen’s worthy credentials. Remember, the league has approved adding additional members in next year’s class as part of the NFL’s 100th-anniversary celebration.
WHEN IS HIS TURN ? COME ON WRITERS or WHOEVER Y’ALL ARE! @EricAllen619 and while you’re checking this out I have several more because I heard next year is a free for all so to speak. #Truth @NFL @nflnetwork
Guys like Allen and fellow Eagles great Al Wistert, maybe Randall Cunningham, should at least be considered. The measure to add a so-called Centennial Class for 2020 was officially announced this past weekend during the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s induction festivities.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s proposal to increase the number of Seniors, Contributors and Coaches candidates as part of a special Centennial Class of 2020 was approved by the Hall’s Board of Trustees during its annual meeting today.
The measure is intended to honor the NFL’s Centennial Celebration through a special Centennial Class that will be comprised of 20 members in 2020. The group will include five Modern-Era players, 10 Seniors (a player who has been retired for more than 25 seasons), three Contributors (an individual other than a player or coach) and two coaches.
The Hall of Fame Board passed the resolution that will suspend the Hall of Fame’s current Selection Committee By-Laws for the Class of 2020 election cycle only.
Eric Allen Deserves Enshrinement in Hall of Fame
Eric Allen was an absolute stud in the Eagles secondary, a place he patrolled in Philadelphia for seven NFL seasons. In 110 starts for the Eagles, Allen tallied 34 career interceptions and 408 combined tackles. In 1993, he picked off four passes and returned them 201 yards for touchdowns.
When Allen retired from the Oakland Raiders following the 2001 season, he had 54 interceptions, including eight returned for touchdowns, six forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and the respect of virtually every wide receiver in the game.
In 2017, Allen gave an interview to “Talk of Fame” where he sounded like he had all but given up on qualifying for a coveted Gold Jacket.
“I think the first couple of years I was hurt and frustrated,” Allen said on a “Talk of Fame Network” broadcast in 2017, via Football Maven. “But, as time goes, and you get older … to be honest, I’m a little more worried about getting tickets to Comi-Con than I am the Hall of Fame. I have four sons, so that’s the most important thing for me right now.”
Hopefully, the new measures passed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame will get Allen back on people’s radar. Maybe the former Eagles cornerback will finally get the respect he deserves.
“Listen, if I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same way,” Allen said in 2017. “I have great respect for the game of football. I love it to this day. With so many things going on at this point, it never once made me waver from my love of the game. Not being inducted into the Hall of Fame, not being on the final panel … none of that has really changed who I am and how I looked at the game.”
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